ABOUT CONSTIPATION

We almost never ask the question, “Are you constipated?” Most people believe that the frequency of their bowel movements is normal, even if they are having only one bowel movement a week. A better question is, “How many bowel movements do you have a day?”

The reality is that one bowel movement in the morning with another movement 20-30 minutes after each moderate to large meal is a sign of optimal bowel health. Even when clients tell us they go once a day, we are careful to discriminate between complete and incomplete bowel movements.

From our perspective, the large majority of clients who suffer from constipation are women. In fact we encourage all of our female clients to go home and ask a male friend or significant other how many times a day they “poop.” They often come back and report how surprised they are to find out that, indeed, their male loved one has a bowel movement two to three times a day.

There are many reasons why women suffer from constipation more frequently than men. The most profound reason, we feel, stems from the cultural taboo that surrounds women and bowel movements. For example, women learn from a very young age that it is not okay to go in a public restroom, that "ladies" don't smell, and that leaving friends at the dinner table is rude. In short, women have learned to ignore bowel cues in times that are not convenient.

There are many medical conditions that include constipation as a symptom. Because we are a physician-supervised facility, we are even more acutely aware of this fact. Our goal is to distinguish WHY you are having less frequent bowel movements, and work with you to reach optimal bowel health through colon hydrotherapy, supplementation and diet and exercise modification.

ALETRIS successfully treats men and women for constipation through colonics, supplementation and behavior modification.